New Jersey
New Jersey leads Northeast in population growth and is bigger than ever. Here’s why.
Four-minute read
According to Census data, Lakewood is the fastest growing town in New Jersey.
Lakewood is a town with an exploding population and growth. A look at the dynamics of New Jersey’s fastest growing town.
New Jersey’s population reached a record 9.5 million in 2024, a surprise surge that was driven by international immigrants who have more than made up for a modest birth rate and long-time residents leaving the Garden State, analysts said.
The steady stream of immigrants during the past five years has given New Jersey the strongest population growth in the Northeast. And while President Donald Trump has moved quickly to crack down on immigration, experts say the influx has helped the state’s economy by adding to the labor force and sparking new businesses.
“Immigrants at all levels are an engine of growth,” said Jennifer Gordon, a professor at Fordham Law School in New York who specializes in immigration law.
New Jersey’s population, merely inching ahead for the better part of two decades, jumped 1.3% in 2024, according to U.S. Census data, placing the Garden State among the 10 fastest growing states nationwide.
It gave Gov. Phil Murphy a chance during his recent State of the State address to tout the New Jersey economy and fire back against a perennial survey by United Van Lines that invariably shows residents leaving in droves.
“Apparently, there are far more moving vans coming into New Jersey than leaving,” he said.The van line survey might not be wrong; New Jersey continues to see more people leave than arrive from other states, according to Census data. But the survey is confined to the company’s own customers. New Jersey has made up for the loss of with a gain of 327,188 international immigrants since 2020, data shows.
New Jersey has about 2.3 million immigrants, including about 450,000 who are undocumented. They make up nearly a quarter of the state’s population, higher than the national rate of 14.3%, according to government data.
Experts say the arrival of immigrants makes sense. New Jersey long has been a magnet for foreign-born residents who have managed to carve out a home and build a culture that in turn has attracted more immigrants.
“Diversity of the (New Jersey) population provides a strong draw for international immigrants,” said Kusum Mundra, an economics professor at Rutgers University in Newark.
Rafael Henrique, 34, is part of the wave. He recently launched Long Branch Business, a Portuguese language magazine whose advertisers include a barber shop, a butcher, a pet groomer and a transportation service.
Henrique, who lives in West Long Branch, said he arrived five years ago from his home state of Minas Gerais in southeast Brazil, following in the footsteps of a second cousin.
The Census data doesn’t show how many Brazilians live in Long Branch, but the town is dotted with Brazilian restaurants, bakeries and markets.
Henrique’s reason for moving to the Jersey Shore echoed generations of immigrants.
“Most people move for safety and to provide better living conditions for their family,” he said.
From July 2023 to July 2024, New Jersey had a net population gain of 121,209, according to the Census Bureau data that was compiled by Rutgers University economist James W. Hughes. It was the fastest growth rate in the Northeast.
Where did the population growth come from?
- International immigration. New Jersey gained 130,692 international immigrants. For context, the state has the 11th highest overall population nationwide, but the fifth-most international immigrants.
- Birth rate. New Jersey had 101,199 births and 75,189 deaths, for a net population gain of 26,010. The state’s birth rate ranks in the middle of the pack, Hughes said, but in the long run, it isn’t high enough to replace the aging baby boomer population.
- Domestic migration. New Jersey had a net loss of 35,554 as residents left the state for new jobs, lower costs or warmer weather. The three most popular destinations, according to Census data: Pennsylvania, New York and Florida.
Despite the net loss of domestic migration, New Jersey’s housing market remains tight. The state has been attracting New York residents in particular who have been searching for more safety and space since the pandemic. And at least some New Jersey residents who bought or refinanced their homes during the pandemic at record-low mortgage rates and are unwilling to move to another home now that rates are hovering around 7%, Hughes said.
The population growth has helped the state’s job market. New Jersey has added 176,900 jobs since February 2020, the month before the pandemic hit, a 4.1% gain. It’s slower than the U.S. job growth rate of 4.6%, but four times stronger than New York and Massachusetts, and twice as strong as Pennsylvania, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
“With declining births, with net domestic migration losses, immigration is really the only key source of population growth in New Jersey,” Hughes said.
How long that growth continues isn’t clear. With supporters concerned about the impact of immigration on taxpayer resources, President Trump in his first day returning to office declared a national emergency on the U.S. and Mexico border. He has promised massive deportations. And he signed a decree ending birthright citizenship, which is protected by the Constitution.
New Jersey on Tuesday joined 17 other states in a lawsuit challenging Trump’s birthright citizenship order.
“They are going to try and do things that make it harder for children born to undocumented immigrants to claim U.S. citizenship, even though they’re constitutionally entitled to it,” Fordham’s Gordon said. “I don’t think that’s bluster. I think the question is how much of it they’ll be able to achieve, given the large distance between saying something like that rhetorically and actually getting it done on the ground.”
Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter for the Asbury Park Press. He has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry since 1999. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.
Two people were killed and two others, including a toddler, were injured in a wrong-way crash in Totowa, New Jersey, earlier this week.
Officials confirm the wrong-way driver was off-duty Newark firefighter Albin Fermin, 30. According to Newark officials, Fermin had been with the Newark Fire Department since February 2024 and was assigned to Engine 10.
Wrong-way driver, mother of 2-year-old killed
The crash happened on I-80 just after 2 a.m. Monday.
New Jersey State Police said 60-year-old Joanne Furman was driving west on I-80 with her daughter Imani Furman, 24, and her 2-year-old grandson, when they were struck head-on by Fermin, who was driving the wrong way.
Fermin and Imani Furman were both killed in the crash.
Police said Joanne Furman was seriously injured and the 2-year-old suffered moderate injuries. Both were taken to a local hospital.
The crash remains under investigation.
“It wasn’t my daughter’s fault”
Janice Furman, Joanne Furman’s mother and Imani Furman’s grandmother, said her family is devastated.
“It wasn’t my daughter’s fault. It was not her fault,” she said. “They’re showing pictures of [Fermin], his family and the whole team of his fire department. ‘We’re going to miss you.’ Almost like a heroic thing. This isn’t heroic. He killed someone.”
Janice Furman said after undergoing several surgeries, Joanne Furman regained consciousness Wednesday. That’s when the family had to break the news about Imani Furman.
“That’s all she said to me, is, ‘Mommy, she’s gone,’” Janice Furman said.
She said the family is overwhelmed with grief.
“Imani was a very spirit-filled young lady. She loved life. She loved to sing. She loved to dance,” Janice Furman said.
She said Imani Furman’s only son, Messiah, was her world.
“She won’t see him graduate. She won’t see anything,” Janice Furman said.
Joanne Furman will have to undergo weeks of physical therapy before she can walk again, her mother said. The family is asking for prayers as they navigate her recovery and plan a funeral.
New Jersey
Sherrill Announces that Lisa Asare will Continue as President and CEO of the NJ Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Authority – Insider NJ
Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill today announced that Lisa Asare will continue as the President and CEO of the NJ Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Authority, and the position will remain in the Gov.-elect’s cabinet. Lisa Asare brings a depth of experience to the role, having held previous positions as Deputy Commissioner of Health Services within the New Jersey Department of Human Services and as Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Family Health Services at the New Jersey Department of Health.
“I have asked Lisa Asare to continue her strong leadership at NJ Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Authority as New Jersey continues to confront the Black Maternal Health crisis. She is known for her ability to bring state government together with practitioners, community partners, and local advocates to develop solutions that improve affordable access to care and health outcomes for women. Together, we’ll invest in programs that build the midwife and doula workforce, and leverage telehealth and remote monitoring services, both during and after pregnancy, to support postpartum moms and healthy infants,” said Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill.
“I am honored to continue to lead the NJ Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Authority. At MIHIA, we are focused not only on delivering physical care, but addressing the social determinants of health, expanding the perinatal workforce, supporting research and data collection, and acting as an incubator for innovation in maternal and infant health. I’m looking forward to continuing to advance this work as part of the Sherrill-Caldwell administration because I know the Governor-elect is committed to these same goals and has already demonstrated that community members have a seat at the table as we work to address healthcare disparities for communities of color across the state,” said Lisa Asare.
Governor-elect Sherrill highlighted the need to address maternal healthcare disparities throughout her campaign for governor and is committed to delivering on those promises. She sat down with moms, providers, community leaders, and advocates at roundtables across the state to pinpoint the key issues state government must address. Specifically, the Sherrill-Caldwell administration will work to build a culturally competent workforce, including doulas and nurse midwives, and ensure that students of color have access to these training programs. Additionally, the administration plans to invest in telehealth services, remote monitoring, and home visiting programs immediately after pregnancy to support postpartum outcomes and healthy infants.
Lisa Asare is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the NJ Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, a position she was appointed to in March 2024. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Asare served as Deputy Commissioner of Health Services within the New Jersey Department of Human Services. In this role, she oversaw the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services that administers NJ FamilyCare and the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. She also served as the Department lead on First Lady Murphy’s Nurture NJ maternal health initiative.
Ms. Asare previously worked as the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of Family Health Services at the New Jersey Department of Health, for more than 20 years. She redesigned the Division’s approach to addressing black infant mortality and maternal mortality, contributed to the NurtureNJ strategic plan, addressed the social determinants of health by collaborating with other state agencies and non-traditional partners, and leveraged additional state, federal, and philanthropic funding to address emerging issues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
NewJerseyDevils.com is the official web site of the New Jersey Devils, a member team of the National Hockey League (“NHL”). NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2025 New Jersey Devils and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.
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